


Almost There

by asproutling



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Feeeellinggsssss, Heavy Angst, M/M, Season 7 Spoilers, Stargazing, keith's pov
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-27
Updated: 2018-07-27
Packaged: 2019-06-17 08:16:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15457113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asproutling/pseuds/asproutling
Summary: He felt so much lighter. Shiro was back. His Shiro. But wasn't the clone Shiro, too? He was conflicted: Keith really hadn't had time to stew over everything that had happened. Still, he couldn't believe it: Shiro was really back. After all this time of not knowing-With tears threatening to prickle up at the corners of his closed eyelids, Keith heard footsteps making their way toward him. They came to a stop a foot away from his right shoulder. He didn't need to look to know who it was."Hey."





	Almost There

There was a lull in excitement, finally, for the first time in what felt like years--but it had really only been... a few hours, a day, maybe? The paladins, Coran and Romelle had returned from their little adventure; it was getting late, and after this planet's sun had set its two moons took center stage up above. Krolia was starting a fire in the center of the front of the lions, and everyone gathered around, sitting on the rough ground below; everyone was noticeably tired, but the smiles on their faces were genuine and couldn't be wavered.

Keith instead walked a few paces east (was it still technically east if he was on another planet, in another galaxy?), away from the group, turned his eyes skyward and felt instant calm; he still hadn't grown to recognize any of these new constellations after leaving Earth, but that didn't quite matter to him anymore. After a few seconds of appreciating the stars above he closed his eyes, inhaled the deepest of breaths, and let out an audible sigh; the weight of the day he hadn't noticed he was carrying drifed out from himself and disappeared into the darkness in front of him.

He felt so much lighter. Shiro was back. _His_ Shiro. But wasn't the clone Shiro, too? He was conflicted--Keith really hadn't had time to stew over everything that had happened. Still, he couldn't believe it: Shiro was really back. After all this time of not knowing-

With tears threatening to prickle up at the corners of his closed eyelids, Keith heard footsteps making their way toward him. They came to a stop a foot away from his right shoulder. He didn't need to look to know who it was.

"Hey."

To this day Keith still couldn't understand how a single word could light him on fire in such a way, how the goosebumps that sprung up from his skin could give him the chills they still gave. He centered himself, opened his eyes and turned his head to meet Shiro's.

"Hey," Keith began, trying to hide the tremor he knew his voice would be affected by. He let his eyes rove over Shiro's face--it felt like it'd been a lifetime since he last let himself do so. Two years, technically, he guessed. "How're you feeling?"

Shiro smiled at that, expression soft yet unreadable. "I'm okay. A little sore." He looked down at the ground, his smile drifting away. "My mind's still a bit fuzzy, but..." He paused, shook his head and looked back at Keith with fond eyes. "Might have to start dyeing my hair, now. Don't want you to start calling me old-timer again." The smile was back; he was a master at lightening any tense situation. Ever since Keith learned of Shiro's illness he knew how and why.

Keith forced himself to smile, anyway. He could do that for Shiro--he more than deserved it. Without further thinking, he said with a shrug, "I don't know. It looks good on you." A sudden blush crept its way onto his face. He looked away, but not before seeing Shiro's eyes widen comically.

A pause. "You think?" The two men turned their heads to the stars simultaneously, both unsure of what to say next. They let themselves take in the reds, the whites, the blues, the yellows of the far-off celestial bodies, in awe of the life they were now leading.

A cold wind breezed straight through their bodies, chilling them to the bone. Keith knew they should join the others around the fire soon, but-

He wanted Shiro to himself. Just for a little while.

Knowing he had yet to answer Shiro's (probably rhetorical) question, Keith accepted he could be nothing but honest with the man, now. "Like starlight," he whispered out. He dropped his gaze from the sky and turned to instead let his eyes linger upon Shiro's profile; no night sky in the universe could ever compare. "Beautiful."

Shiro turned back toward him, winded and expression serious. "Keith-"

"Shiro, just-" Keith interrupted. This was it, this was the beginning of _something_ , something _big_. "I know... I know we've been through a lot." He paused, desperately searching for the words. "And I know we have a lot more to go through. We just defeated Lotor, the trip back to Earth is gonna take a long time, and-

"What I'm tryng to say is... Now isn't the right time." Keith saw Shiro's brows wrinkle in hurt, steeling himself for further bad news. "But," Keith continued, "soon it will be. The right time. I know it." Keith took Shiro's hand in his, heart fluttering a thousand beats a minute, breath short, palms sweaty, Shiro stepping back a bit, but-

He had to do this _right_.

"And when the time  _does_ come, I'll be ready." Keith waited for Shiro's reply with bated breath, aware his grip on Shiro's hand was this side of too tight, was this side of too shaky. Shiro looked down on the ground, a shy smile forming on his face, looked back up straight into Keith's eyes-

"Okay. Me too."

**Author's Note:**

> For Sheith Month 2018, Day 27: (Sports)/STARGAZING. Hope ya'll enjoyed!
> 
> @shiros-sprout on tumblr


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